If you've not heard about Tamara from The Glam and The Glitter, you've been hiding under a rock. Her blog is among my top ten of favourite reads and has gone from strength to strength over the last four years.

I love Tamara's style because:

She is the epitome of luxury meets high street. She has a good eye for finding amazing affordable pieces that look premium, and combines them well with investment buys. Her outfits are always so well thought out and put together but she does it effortlessly. I couldn't wait to find out her styling secrets when I caught up with her:

Q:If you could only have
three items of clothing in your wardrobe what would they be and why?

A: I
would have to say a white simple shirt, great fitting boyfriend ripped jeans,
and a blazer, you can create any kind of outfit with those 3, and with right
accessories, its much easier to look great!

Q:How would you best describe your personal style?

A: My
style is "girly interpretation of the trend". I like to follow
trends, but always add a girly twist to it, because that is what I feel the
best in. A lot of prints and a lot of colour also make me happy.

Q: What
do you think makes someone stylish?

A: I
think its the way you carry yourself and the way you combine the clothes you
own. There is also that attitude,stylish people never look down on what other
people wear, even if its not something what they would personally wear. Its
important to appreciate the beauty of everything.

Q: What
is your biggest style tip?

A: To only wear what you
feel good in. And I don't mean the comfort, I mean the confidence, if you think
you look great in that dress, and your friends don't agree, you will look much
better if you listen to yourself. Confidence makes us look so much better :)

I'm really not a huge fan of winter... at all! Shorter days, darker nights and freezing temperatures what's to like? Having to wrap yourself in layers to leave your front door is also a pain but I do love a good winter coat. For an entire season your coat is your staple piece so I've decided it should so be my statement piece this winter.

In the past, I've tended to go safe with coats because I wanted to make sure they matched my entire wardrobe and had longevity. Now I really feel like having one with a bit more personality whether its bright, colorful, draped, textured or just has an interesting shape. I'm on the lookout at the moment but have included some immediate favourites from my recent online spree. Which one do you like?

One of the things I love about LA is Halloween in LA. People go to town with costumes and parties, and everyone makes an effort properly getting into the Halloween spirit. When Fancy Dress Queen got in touch for me to review one of their costumes, it couldn't have come at a better time. I decided to go for something a little unexpected and went as B (or the Bride) from Kill Bill.I realise B is played by 6ft tall blonde Amazonian Uma Thurman but hey...Halloween is all about putting your own twist to your favourite characters.

I actually got some great responses from the West Hollywood crowd and it seems that people who love a movie or character are just excited when they see anyone playing homage to it. The only thing I'd say about wearing an all in one PVC catsuit is that be prepared to die of heat! I must have lost quite a few pounds that evening in my very own walking sauna. The things we do for Halloween!

As I settle back into my reality of work and grey skies, I am
still on a high after some much needed vitamin D and time out in LA. Being my home away from home after living there for 2 years, I always love going
back to visit friends but also because there isn't a place like it.

During this trip, my friend and I decided to stay at the Petit Ermitage, an eccentric hidden boutique hotel in West Hollywood. The thing about
LA hotels is that though they can offer utter luxury and glamour, they can also
be impersonal, busy and full of the wrong crowd.

As many of the popular hotels are tourist attractions in
their own right, I love the fact that Petit Ermitage has a different flair with its classy yet whimsical gypsy theme.

The rooms

Our room was a lovely suite which included a king sized bed with Egyptian cotton, pretty kitchenette, fire place, private bathroom and shower and of course free WiFi! The amenities and essentials were great but I also loved the room’s vintage inspired theme with its Venetian plaster walls and original art.

Poolside

One of the main reasons I went on this holiday was to relax and recharge my batteries. LA hotels have some of the best pool sides, but what I loved most about this one was that it was quiet and felt very exclusive. The salt water pool was also a huge thumbs up as I didn't get the chlorine fear of my swimwear changing colour. I also loved the cabana where you could lounge around and look at the city views. I spent a huge amount of time at this pool during my stay and loved it.

Dining- Breakfast

LA has some of the best restaurants in the world in my opinion so we tended to eat out more than dine at the hotel. However, we made it a daily routine to have our breakfast every morning in the outdoor restaurant. The staff were always friendly and helpful and we would happily sit outside in our robes and enjoy fresh fruit, juice, bread and muffins. You could either choose to have a continental buffet breakfast or swerve to the odd American temptation consisting of waffles and maple syrup, crispy bacon and butter cream oatmeal. Yes I now have to go on a serious diet.

Service

The service at this hotel was wonderful especially with the
management team (thanks Alex). Whether you needed a taxi, restaurant
reservations, printing out a document or decaf coffee ( yes in America) they
were only happy to oblige. Part of the
reason I enjoyed my stay was the way the staff were so friendly and accommodating.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time and I would definitely stay at this hotel again. The only thing I would change is maybe having a shower room or hotel
room checked out guests can use. We had
an evening flight so I would have loved to have freshened up and changed in a
private room than a toilet. Apart from that I would highly recommend this
quirky, unique luxurious and fun boutique hotel. Five stars from me!

About Me

Hello, thanks for visiting my blog. I started this blog in 2011 mainly because I'm a bit of a shopaholic. I'm always picking up one thing or another and thrive on hunting down a bargain. The name actually came about because of people commenting on my clothes and asking me, 'where did you buy that?' I'm a cross between an investment buyer and a bargain hunter and mixing the two is what I love to do the most.